Dispenser and shelf



Oct.

M. c. SAPHIERI DISPENSER AND SHELF Filed Jan. 12, 1955 INVENTOR. M ICHAELQ-SAPHIER ATTORNEY United StatesPatent G i 2,858,086 DISPENSER AND SHELF Michael C. Saphier, New York, N. Y., assignor to Lincoln Metal Products Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 12, 1955, Serial No. 481,304 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-554) This invention relates in general to dispensing and stormg apparatus and in particular to a three-way dispenser having a storage shelf.

It has now become commonplace in the household to have various rolled materials for use primarily in the kitchen. Such rolled materials generally are purchased in containers and storage on shelves or the like, whether in or out of containers, proves inefficient and inconvenient when use of one or all of the various rolled materials is desired.

A further need generally in kitchens is additional shelf or storage space.

It is an object of this invention to devise new apparatus to store and dispense rolled material and to provide shelf storage space.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to devise a three-way rolled material dispenser having a storage shelf.

For a better understanding of this invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference, is now had to the following description taken in connection with the following drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a cutaway isometric view of one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 is detailed isometric view of one element termed a positioning arm of this invention.

For a better understanding of this invention reference is now had to Fig. 1 wherein is shown an embodiment of my invention. The sides and back of the device comprise a housing designated 11. Joined to the housing is a lid 12enclosing a compartment generally designated 13. At the top of the device and at the top of compartment 13 is a shelf 14 to hold household paraphernalia including for example rolled material to be used within the device of this invention. In this embodiment rivets or the like 15 attach the top corners of lid 12 to the sides. The attaching rivets or the like 15 are so formed to allow the lower edge of lid 12 to swing freely upward and outward. It'is to be realized of course that lid 12 may be attached by hinges or the like to shelf 14 rather than to the sides. Positioned within compartment 13 is a roll of household roll material 16. The rolled material 16 is mounted in this compartment on positioning arms 17 which extend inward into the compartment from the sides of housing 11. The lower edge of lid 12 is a serrated edge 18. The leading edge 20 of the rolled material 16 is shown in this figure extending downward out of compartment 13.

Positioned next beneath lid 12 in the front of the device of this figure is a second lid or door 21. This lid or door 21 is shown in this figure pinned at pin 22 to one side of housing 11. A similar pin similarly located pins or attaches door 21 to the other side of housing 11. Forming the portion of door 21 beneath the pins wider than the width of housing 11 and the portion above the pins narrower will allow the lower edge of door 21 to move forward and upward while the top portion of door 21 moves inward and downward. Positioned behind door 21 and between the sides of housing 11 is a second compartment generally designated as 23 to house rolled material. A roll of rolled material 25 is shown positioned in compartment 23 with its leading edge 26 extending downward out of the compartment and beneath the lower edge 27 of lid 21. The lower edge 27 of lid 21 is a serthe hollow area of the roll of the rolled material.

2,858,086 Patented Oct. 28, 1958 ice rated edge. The base 28 of compartment 23 comprises i a sheet of material fixedly mounted to the sides of housing 11. The shelf at the top of the device is also'fixedly mounted to housing 11 and together the shelf and base wall 30 which separates compartment 23 from. a compartment located behind it and herein generally. designated 31. Separating wall 30 also aids in positioning rolled material 25 in place in compartment 23.

Compartment 31 is shown in this figure housing a roll of rolled material 32 with its leading edge 33 extending out of compartment 31 and beneath base 28. The rear edge 35 of base 28 is a serrated edge. The bottom36 of compartment 31 may support the rolled material 32 in position within the compartment or means similar to positioning arms 17 may extend inward from the sides of compartment 31 to support rolled material 32. The bottom 36 is movable and is shown in this figure attached by a pin 37. Bottom 36 may be attached to allow the front end to swing downward and backward while the rear end rotates on pin 37 or it may be attached to move downward while remaining in substantially the same plane. These examples are not intended to in anyway limit the attachment or movement of bottom 36 and known means are intended to be encompassed herein.

A cutaway section generally designated 38 in the upper portion of lid or door 21 provides space to insert fingers to frictionally engage the inside surface of leading edge 20 of rolled material 16.

Suflicient clearance exists to allow frictional engagement of leading edges 26 and 33. Serrated edge 27 in this embodiment is at a point lower than the front edge of base 28 thereby providing an access area. for the extending or leading edge 26. Similarly the front edge of bottom 36 is at a point higher than serrated edge 35 thereby providing an access area for the extending or leading edge 33 of roll 32.

A catch or other locking mechanism released by a knob, button or the like, generally known to the art holds bottom 36 in the closed position shown.

Means generally known to the art may be provided in t the back of housing 11 so that the device may be conveniently fastened to a wall or the like.

Openings exist to allow movement of the rolled material out of their respective compartments.

Reference is now had to Fig. 2 wherein is shown in detail positioning arm 17. This arm is particularly adapted to position rolled material. It allows easy insertion or removal of a roll of rolled material and will hold the roll of material in position while allowing it to rotate freely. Positioning arm 17 comprises a backing plate 40 and an outward extending member 41. Member 41 comprises an outward cylindrical extension terminating in a sealed end 43. The sealed end 43 is positioned at an angle to the perpendicular of the axis of cylinder 42.

In mounting a roll of rolled material on positioning arm 17 the roll is gently pressed against sealed end 43 starting at that point at which cylinder 42 extends out the least distance and progressing to the point at which cylinder 42 extends out the greatest distance. The roll then slides into position surrounding cylinder 42 and it is held in position by extending member 41 fitted snugly within To remove a roll from positioning arm 17 that portionof the roll at that point of the cylinder which extends out the least distance is removed first and with gentle pressure the roll is progressed over the sealed end 43 until it moves over that portion of cylinder 42 which is extended outward the greatest amount and thus out of grasp of positioning arm 17.

Generally using a positioning arm as described above the arm may be fixedly mounted. This does away with problems encountered with spring or tension mounting such as bending the arm thereby losing tension and the like. It is to be realized however that it is not intended to limit this invention to a permanently mounted positioning arm.

When mounting positioning arm 17 to hold rolled material it is desirable to position that portion of cylinder 42 which extends outward the greatest distance at the point to which the largest force proponent is transferred when rolled material is being drawn off the roll. Generally this will be at a point diametrically opposite that point of cylinder 42 closest to the unobstructed area through which the rolled material is withdrawn from the compartment and one skilled in the art can easily properly position or mount positioning arm 17.

In operation, the device of this invention is first loaded with rolled material. Rolled material is intended to include within its scope rolled waxed paper, rolled paper towels, rolled foil,- rolled plastics and the like. The above listing has been included herein for illustrative purposes and it is not intended to limit this invention thereto.

Generally where bulky rolls of material such as rolled paper towels are provided for in constructing this device it is desirable to use positioning arms 17 or the like to hold the rolls. On the other hand when it is desired to provide for less bulky rolls such as waxed paper positioning arms are not needed but such arms may be provided.

The device of this invention is loaded by raising lids 12 and 21 and dropping bottom 36 and inserting rolls of rolled material in the compartments. The leading edge of each roll is drawn through the opening of each compartment near each of the serrated edges. The lids and bottom are closed and material may be withdrawn from each compartment as desired and torn off against the cutting blades or serrated edges 13, 2'7, and 35. Lids 12 and 21 should be of sufiicient weight and would be so mounted in housing 11 to maintain their closed positions when rolled material is drawn against edges 18 and 27 for cutting purposes.

Although this invention has been described in terms of a three-way dispenser of rolled material, it is to be realized that using the principles disclosed herein dispenser may be formed having more than three compartments and it is intended to include such dispensers within the scope of this invention.

It is intended to cover this invention broadly within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser comprising a housing having three compartments formed therein each adapted to hold household rolled material, said housing having three slots formed therein each to allow passage of rolled material from each of said compartments each of said slots being formed to allow frictional engagement of the rolled material pass ing through said slots, means to support rolled material in each of said compartments, access means for each of said compartments to allow insertion and removal of a roll of rolled material, and a serrated edge positioned at each of said slots to provide cutting edges to rolled mate rial passing out of said housing through each of said slots, one of said compartments being positioned across the upper portion of said housing and the remaining two compartments being positioned substantially in the same plane beneath the upper compartment.

2. A three-way dispenser of household rolled material comprising a housing having three compartments each adapted to hold household rolled material, a shelf formed on the top of said housing, one of said three compartments comprising a first compartment to house rolled material beneath said shelf, a first compartment lid extending downward from said shelf to enclose said first compartment, said first compartment lid having a serrated lower edge, said first compartment lid being hinged to allow movement forward and upward of said serrated lower edge, mounting means in said first compartment for rolled material adapted to allow easy insertion and removal of a roll of rolled material and adapted to hold rolled material in position in said first compartment while free to rotate, a second of said three compartments comprising a second compartment positioned beneath said first compartment adapted to house rolled material, a base for said second compartment fixedly mounted to the housing, a second compartment lid hinged to the housing extending downward from said serrated loweredge of said first compartment lid and adapted to allow the lower edge of said second .compartment lid to move forward and upward, said second compartment lid having a serrated lower edge and an upper edge positioned in spaced rela tionship with said lower edge of said first compartment lid to provide an unobstructed area for the passage of rolled material positioned in said first compartment, the upper edge of said second compartment lid having an access opening sufficiently large to permit frictional engagement with rolled material positioned in said first compartment, said serrated edge of said second compartment lid being positioned to overhang the front edge of said base for said second compartment thereby forming an access opening sufiiciently large to permit frictional engagement with rolled material positioned in said second compartment, the rearward edge of said base of said second compartment being serrated, and the third compartment of said three compartments comprising a third compartment to hold rolled material positioned beneath said first compartment and rearward of said second compartment being adapted to allow insertion and removal of a roll of rolled material, mounting means in said third compartment for rolled material adapted to allow easy insertion and removal of a roll of rolled material and adapted to hold rolled material in position in said third compartment while free to rotate, said serrated edge of said base of said second compartment being positioned forward and beneath said third compartment thereby forming an access opening sufficiently large to permit frictional engagement with rolled material positioned in said third compartment.

3. A dispenser comprising a housing having a first, second, and third compartment each adapted to hold household rolled material, a horizontal cover member at the top of said housing, a first compartment movable lid extending downward from said housing extension and having a serrated lower edge, a second compartment movable lid extending downward from the lower edge of said first compartment lid and having a serrated lower edge, the upper edge of said second compartment lid being positioned in spaced relationship with the lower edge of said first compartment lid and having an access opening to permit frictional engagement with rolled material positioned in the first compartment, the serrated edge of said second compartment lid being positioned and disposed to overhang beneath the base of the second compartment thereby forming an opening to permit frictional engagement with rolled material in said second compartment, and a serrated edge at the rear of the base of the second compartment positioned forward and beneath the third compartment thereby forming an opening to permit frictional engagement with rolled material in the third compartment, said third compartment being positioned substantially in the same plane as said second compartment and beneath said first compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,482,714 Mell Sept. 20, 1949 2,550,209 Tuttle Apr. 24, 1951 2,657,873 Dittman et a1 Nov. 3, 1953 2,701,691 Christmas Feb. 8, 1955 

